Little Ricky Gets a Dog
|season = 6 |number = 12 |overall = 165 |airdate = January 21, 1957 |production = 6-12 / 165 |imdb = tt0609245 |writer = Bob Carroll, Jr. Madelyn Martin Bob Schiller Bob Weiskopf |director = James V. Kern |previous = "Lucy and the Loving Cup" |next =''"Lucy and Superman"'' |image = |imagewidth = 300px}} Little Ricky Gets a Dog was the 165th overall episode of I Love Lucy, also the 12th episode of season 6, the final season of the series. The episode was directed by James V. Kern, originally aired on CBS-TV on January 21, 1957. Synopsis Little Ricky's new puppy prompts complaints by another tenant. Plot summary Little Ricky brings home a puppy to add to his already large menagerie. Lucy and Ricky try to make him get rid of it, but the puppy is just too cute. Fred complains when the puppy howls all night long, but even Fred is softened by the puppy when Little Ricky announces that he's going to name the little dog "Fred." Why this name? Because Little Ricky only names his pets after people he likes. But the new tenant demands that the dog be sent away. Fred has to pick the tenant and the money over Fred the dog. Lucy still can't bear to get rid of the little puppy, and she gets caught hiding Fred under a sombrero. The new tenant is outraged, but Fred sticks up for the Ricardos, saying that he'd "rather live with a little dog than a big grouch!" Trivia *Lucille Ball was a huge dog lover. She always had at least one dog as a pet throughout her whole life. You can really see her love for dogs when she's cuddling Fred when he's been barking all night. *In addition to Fred the dog, Little Ricky also has Hopalong the frog, Tommy and Jimmy the turtles, Alice and Phil the parakeets, and Mildred and Charles the fish. He used to have a lizard, but it accidentally fell out the window. *Out of all of Little Ricky's pets, the only ones we ever see after this episode (besides Fred the dog, of course) are Mildred and Charles and Alice and Phil. The fish bowl is on top of the Ricardos' piano in the Mertzes' apartment in episode #168, and the bird cage is in the corner of the Mertzes' apartment (by the kitchen door) in episode #168. *Lucy mentions wanting to move to the country in this episode, helping to set up the upcoming storyline. *Voice actress veteran June Foray is the one who makes the noises of the puppy yelping. The puppy never actually was howling and whining. *In this episode, the window by Ricky's bed that we see in episode #85 is gone! Ricky now just has a blank wall by his bed. *There are many correlations between getting Fred the puppy and when Little Ricky was a newborn. Not only are the neighbors mad at the late-night yowling of the puppy like Mrs. Trumbull was upset with Little Ricky's nightly crying, Lucy and Ricky scheme to not tell Little Ricky that Fred must be given away just like they schemed to not get up for Little Ricky's crying in episode #58. Plus, the Mertzes stick up for the Ricardos over them breaking both the "no pets" and "no children" parts of the lease. Starring *Lucille Ball ... as Lucy Ricardo *Desi Arnaz ... as Ricky Ricardo *Vivian Vance ... as Ethel Mertz *William Frawley ... as Fred Mertz Guest Starring *Richard Keith ... as Little Ricky *June Foray ... as The Dog (voice effects) *John Emery ... as Mr. Stewart Category:Season 6 Episodes Category:Episodes